Alex took a picture of me at Bernal Park. As I told him, silhouette is my best angle.
November came and went and 2016 is rapidly following.
FEAST FOR THE EYES>>
- 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I listened to this book near-constantly and finally finished it. I really love long stories and it delivered. I remember I kept wanted to talk about it to someone but no one else has read it.
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. As luck would have it the San Francisco Library had both of these popular books on audio book and so I grabbed them both—why not? This is one of his earlier books, originally published in 1987 in Japanese. So far it’s also about unique young people in a particular kind of love.
ENTHUSED>>
- I’m looking forward to watching Before Midnight, the last movie in the Linklater trilogy. And then I realized I’m not looking forward to anything else. This could be a problem.
- I’ve enjoyed cooking dinner for my friends this month. I made two of my favorites: leek, potato, and feta cheese tarts and cheddar chicken. Since they’re in season, I also made a persimmon salad that I would definitely recommend (I substituted the feta with goat cheese).
COMPULSIONS>>
- I feel a lot more motivated to do crafty things lately. I really want to build a side table like Katie & Owen’s coffee table.
- I’ve been kind of into making fake fortune cookies.
COMPUNCTIONS>>
- I feel behind at work. I have been able to use my time more efficiently at work lately, but I am not able to get things at the level I want them yet. Sometimes I also feel a little walled off from the rest of my team too.
- Making friends is hard.
SIGHTS>>
- Bayway trail. I road my bike to work! You read all about that, right?
- I got to see my dear friends Katie, Shanna, Owen, Igor, and Matt last week for our third annual Friendsgiving celebration. It felt a little little different than the previous years. Like we were trying to re-create our younger selves, but we’ve been growing up too much since then. At the same time, it was like we were right at home with each other. I laughed so much it hurt and that hardly ever happens to me. Rather than feeling like I was taking a break from my real life, it felt like I was going back to in and that my life in California is temporary. I miss and treasure those people, that city, and those times.
- I went to the NightLife event at the California Academy of Science with my new friend Alex in the city. Every Thursday they open up the museum in the evening for a 21-and-over event where they have food and drinks, a themed presentation, and open most of the exhibitions. I had an absolutely wonderful time! One of the best week day nights I’ve had! I was instantly excited to see all the exhibitions and I felt like there was the alcohol part that other people need to be entertained! Finally, an event I can take other people to. I definitely want to go again because we got there late and I didn’t get to see all the exhibits. I wish I could just sit in the aquarium arch for hours.
- Sunsets at Bernal Park and Tank Hill park. If there is one thing that San Francisco does an amazing job at, it’s sun rises and sun sets. I have seen more here than I have anywhere else and have started making a point to do so.
- Japanese Tea Garden, Ocean Beach, and Land’s End. For some reason, after my long bike ride to work, I decided to bike some more and ended up going through Golden Gate Park to see the Japanese Garden, and then kept riding through to the ocean to see the sutro baths. Man, riding through Golden Gate Park is really amazing.
STORIES>>
I went on a lot of planes and saw a lot of movies.
- Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Obsessed with this series because maybe they’re good or maybe I’m a big dork. More on this after I finish the last one.
- Whiplash. Maybe I was negatively influenced by the airplane’s tiny screen, but I didn’t think this movie was that good even though it has been highly recommended. I didn’t relate the main character very much.
- Antman. Because, hey, airplane movies. It was your average superhero movie.
- Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. This was a movie I came across when it was in theaters but I couldn’t find anyone to see it with me so I was pretty pleased to come across it on the plane. I really liked it and would recommend it to others. It has sad parts, lots of funny parts, and it’s not a romantic comedy. SCORE.
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. I felt like it was the same as the other movies. We have watched the previous three movies during Friendsgiving and we had to keep the tradition alive.
- The Broken Circle Breakdown. The plane had a Tribeca Film Festival category! I did really like this Dutch movie. Odd that I would see two movies about leukemia in one month, but I think this one did a more successful job on telling it in an interesting way with a non-linear timeline with characters unique from your average perfect parent couple. It’s really lovely, I recommend it.
- Black Mirror. I made my friends in New York watch this TV series that I really like. They’re hour-long, well produced and episodes that present a unique, self-contained story. I have been describing it to people as modern day Twilight Zone. It presents an eerie version of realty. They put you in a weird mood afterwards. They make you uncomfortable. I will say: the only one I really don’t like is the first episode.